Pelvic floor therapy in Madison, IL. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause hurt; it can impact your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a favorite sport, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Madison, IL can help you with:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
• Increased confidence and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Madison, IL specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most securely and effectively. If you are interested in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or wish to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore command and assurance in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that constitute a supportive web-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in your pelvis, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor shields organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping manage several vital functions.

The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:

• Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you control over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from prolapsing
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports optimal sexual function
• Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
• During pregnancy, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymph circulation, contributing to sustain healthy tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles extend from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front, while also linking to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings or passages for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).

Picture the pelvic floor as a woven network of muscles and tissues that constructs a resilient foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing sling to preserve the position and function of pelvic organs.

The primary muscles of the pelvic floor are called the levator ani and the coccygeus. The levator ani has three parts: one that wraps around the rectum and helps you to hold in your feces (puborectalis), one that connects the front and back bones of your pelvis and supports the urethra and rectum (pubococcygeus), and one that connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and supports the organs inside your abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and helps to maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have important roles. They aid in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and play a part in sexual function and satisfaction by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is compromised or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you experience difficulty relaxing and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Trouble urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Regularly feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to force out waste
• Pelvic discomfort
• Pain during sex
• Erectile dysfunction and difficulty ejaculating
• Organ prolapse

Potential Causes

• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Pelvic surgery or trauma
• Obesity
• Aging
• Menopause
• Chronic constipation or straining
• Chronic coughing or sneezing
• Heavy lifting or high-impact exercise
• Psychological factors like stress or emotional trauma
• Nerve damage
• Surgery

Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just affect people of a single certain age, gender or physical ability. While it can affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Madison, IL. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to assisting you recover the pleasure of engaging in the things you hold dear most in life.

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

If you are suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, you may feel frustrated, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans customized for you by your Madison, IL physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and enjoy a comfortable life.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Madison, IL include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help improving bladder and bowel control, reduce symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination supports vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less resilient or more rigid muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can support in lessening or eradicating the discomfort you endure caused by pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can aid in preparing the pelvic floor for delivery, minimizing the risk of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and addressing any hidden issues, therapy can boost sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual satisfaction.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t exclusively include guided exercises. By offering education and instructing you in approaches you can utilize independently, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to maintain a lifestyle that supports pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Madison, IL who can support you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. While some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative intervention, most individuals in Madison, IL will find sustained and substantial progress through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Madison, IL Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Madison, IL will involve an examination of your current pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your personalized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Madison, IL physical therapist will dedicate time to familiarize themselves with you and your issues. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to assess your present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Madison, IL may additionally involve an internal examination to better assess the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed instead of an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will assist in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the creation of an optimal treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Madison, IL will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will incorporate precise goals, exercises, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving strength and balance is vital for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Madison, IL include:

• Kegel exercises to loosen and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to incorporate new muscle patterns into daily tasks

The exercises your Madison, IL physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying flat on your back and evolve to seated and standing positions.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy, such as instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, involves your physical therapist using their hands to put pressure on and massage specific areas of your pelvis. It may include trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve decompression (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilizing techniques (improving the mobility of your joints), deep tissue massage (relaxing tense muscles), or skin mobilization (lifting and rolling the skin to reduce adhesions).

Biofeedback Training

Biofeedback training makes use of a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to regulate and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they contract and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and relax the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to complete – it also offers you entry to expert, evidence-based insights that improve your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:

• Changes to your eating habits
• Liquid control
• Proper body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Tactics for dealing with constipation
• Further advice for a more wholesome day-to-day life and way of living

Enhancing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments promotes enhanced pelvic floor function and general well-being.

Other methods in pelvic floor therapy may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Madison, IL

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing customized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Madison, IL, our practice puts our clients at the center and aims to attain positive patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a delicate and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, empathy, and customized attention.

We also embrace the belief in delivering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and state-of-the-art technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we present a range of other physical therapy services that can complement your pelvic floor therapy, including:

• Orthopedic rehab
• Sports physical therapy
• Neurological physical therapy
• Geriatric physical therapy
• Pre- or post-surgery rehab

If you are interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Madison, IL, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Madison, IL area, all dedicated to achieving your optimal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Madison, IL Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from leading your best life. At Axes, our devoted physical and occupational therapists in Madison, IL have a sole mission: returning you to the activities you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it difficult to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Schedule an appointment through our website or get in touch with the nearest location to you to start your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Madison, IL today.